Audi A5

Audi A5 at a glance

First generation (8T, 2007–2016): coupé, Cabriolet and Sportback

Audi unveiled the A5 coupé on 6 March 2007 at the Geneva Motor Show, took orders the same day and delivered the first cars in June 2007. Satoshi Wada drew the design in 2003, and Walter de Silva later called the coupé his most beautiful design ever. The Cabriolet with a fabric roof went into production at Neckarsulm in early 2009, and the five-door Sportback, styled by Markus Gleitz, went on sale in September 2009. A facelift shown at the 2011 Frankfurt show reached Europe as the 2012 model.

The S5 coupé arrived with the A5 and used a 4.2-litre V8 with 260 kW (354 PS); from 2009 a supercharged 3.0 TFSI V6 with 245 kW (333 PS) took over. The RS 5, shown at Geneva in 2010, used a 4.2-litre V8 with 331 kW (450 PS), a crown-gear centre differential and torque vectoring. It weighed 1,800 kg, and production ended in June 2015. Data for every S5 and RS 5 version is listed in our Audi catalogue.

Second generation (F5, 2016–2024): lighter and on MLB

The second A5 was revealed as a coupé and S5 coupé on 2 June 2016, followed by the Sportback on 8 September and the Cabriolet on 3 November 2016. Its platform was the MLB, as in the B9 A4. The Sportback grew to 4,733 mm with a 2,824 mm wheelbase, and the coupé kept a shorter 2,765 mm wheelbase in S5 form. A six-speed manual remained in some countries, while most cars used the seven-speed S tronic or eight-speed Tiptronic.

The S5 switched to a 3.0-litre turbo V6 with 260 kW (354 PS) and an eight-speed automatic. The RS 5 dropped the V8 for a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 shared with the Porsche Panamera 4S: 331 kW (450 PS) as before, but 600 Nm instead of 430 Nm, 0–100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and a car 60 kg lighter than the old RS 5. An RS 5 Sportback followed at the 2018 New York show and a facelifted RS 5 in December 2019. When the A4 range was reorganised in 2024, the coupé and Cabriolet were dropped without a direct successor.

Third generation (B10, since 2024): the A5 replaces the A4

On 16 July 2024 Audi changed its naming scheme: odd numbers would mark cars with combustion engines, even numbers electric models. The A5 name therefore went to the new mid-size saloon and estate that replaced the A4. Orders opened that month, and European deliveries began in November 2024. The B10 is built on the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) and uses the E3 1.2 electronics architecture from Cariad. The four-door body is a liftback, so the boot lid opens with the rear window, and an Avant estate is offered alongside it.

The car is 4,829 mm long, 1,860 mm wide and has a 2,900 mm wheelbase, 76 mm longer than the F5 Sportback. Manual gearboxes are no longer offered. A 48-volt mild-hybrid system adds 18 kW and 230 Nm on some versions, and the e-hybrid plug-in arrived in March 2025 with a 25.9 kWh battery. In China Audi sells longer A5L models, and the RS 5 saloon and Avant shown on 19 February 2026 combine the V6 with an electric motor and a battery of about 22 kWh. In the 2024 ANCAP test, aligned with Euro NCAP, the B10 scored 87 % for adult and child occupants, 78 % for pedestrians and 79 % for safety assistance.

Engines and performance

The B10 S5 needs 4.5 seconds to 100 km/h and the RS 5 3.6 seconds, while the 110 kW base saloon takes 9.8 seconds. The step from the first RS 5 to the latest is 139 kW, or 42 %. To convert any of these outputs into horsepower, use our power converter.

Production and sales

Production rose quickly after the Cabriolet and Sportback joined the range, fell with the ageing first generation and peaked in 2017, the first full year of the F5. In 2023 the A5 sold 23,777 cars in the United States and 15,031 in China. For the company's past, see our history of Audi.

Common problems of the first generation

HonestJohn's reader reports on the 2007–2016 A5 point to a few recurring faults. Several 2.0 TFSI petrol engines used large amounts of oil, and Wikipedia also records an oil-consumption problem with engines built between 2009 and 2011. Owners reported early clutch and dual-mass flywheel failures, jerky behaviour of the S tronic, MMI and Bluetooth glitches, and an electric parking brake fault that dealers struggled to fix. A service history with oil-consumption checks and any gearbox work is the key document when buying.

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